SINGAPORE — A 20-year-old woman was sentenced to 21 months’ probation and 80 hours of community service on Thursday (June 11), after pleading guilty to stabbing and slashing an acquaintance at Yishun Park last year.

Shahira Nadira Mohammad Rudyn will also have to remain indoors from 10pm to 6am during the probation. Her father posted a bond of S$5,000 to ensure her good behaviour during the period.

Reports to assess if she was suitable for probation or reformative training both showed that he is now able to effectively discipline Shahira, as she has moved to live with him. 

Reformative training — a regimented rehabilitation programme for offenders under the age of 21 who commit relatively serious crimes — is a harsher punishment than probation, which allows young offenders to continue with their education or employment while serving their sentences.

Shahira has no previous criminal history and the injuries she inflicted on her victim were not very serious as well, the reports added.

She had earlier pleaded guilty to a single charge of causing hurt to the victim, now aged 18, with a stabbing instrument. 

Those convicted of the offence can be jailed up to seven years, fined, caned, or any combination of the three. Women cannot be caned by law.

The court heard that the attack was sparked by a Twitter message Shahira sent the other girl on March 25 last year.

Shahira had felt slighted over an earlier Twitter post by the victim. Court documents did not give further details about the post.

The messages that the pair exchanged grew increasingly heated, culminating in the victim asking Shahira to meet for a “settlement talk”.

The next day, Shahira took a curved knife with a 11cm-long blade with her to Yishun Park, hiding it in her clothing. 

She also got five friends — two 18-year-old girls and three men aged between 21 and 23 — to go along to support her. The victim was accompanied by two of her own friends, both teenage girls.

At the park, Shahira and the girl argued over why Shahira was picking on the girl’s mother in her posts before the girl punched Shahira in the face once. Shahira retaliated by pushing and punching her.

During the altercation, Shahira retrieved the knife and stabbed and slashed the victim. Shahira’s friends separated the two of them at this point, before taking the victim to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in a private-hire car.

The victim suffered several superficial puncture wounds and abrasions, and was given 17 days of hospitalisation leave.

Shahira has not made compensation for her medical expenses, which amounted to at least S$1,032.